Assad Daily Halloween

Since the outbreak of the uprising, Syrians have countered the negligence of the world with novelty. From holidays to international observances, they have seized every opportunity to trumpet their cause across the globe. This year, while people celebrated fear and horror on Halloween, Syrians were also celebrating their own version of the holiday; only theirs is not glamorous nor does it require costumes, it is Assad’s Daily Halloween.

As the holiday reared its head, activists were searching for a way to convey the fear that Syrians, especially children, face on a daily basis. They joined efforts with the Voice of Detainees group, and the Assad Daily Halloween Campaign came to life on October 31, 2014.

Other than focusing on the terror of the regime, the campaign aims to send a powerful message, that the horror of Halloween is optional, while in Syria it is an inescapable reality. “The blood of Syrian children is real, their wounds are not paint,” says Yara, one of the organizers to SyriaUntold, “Because of the tyrant, to them, everyday is Halloween.”

On the hashtag #AssadDailyHalloween, activists shared pictures and videos that combine scenes from Syria with elements of Halloween. Many artists have also took part in the campaign, including Yara al-Najm, Osama Deeb, Mustafa Yaaqoub, Anwar al-Issa, among others.

The campaign was met with great success, with over 9,000 retweets and hundreds who joined the Facebook event. However, the campaign that started on social media, soon spilled into the real world, as Syrians held banners and organized protests to support the campaign in Aleppo, Homs, Idlib and even Germany.

In the campaign’s most poignant pieces of art, confessions of Syrian children are probably the best summary of daily life in Syria. With terrified eyes, they talk about their deepest fears; ones that do not belong in the minds of young children:

“I fear starving because of the siege..

I fear my friends might die of shelling and barrel bombs..”

With a smile a little girl says: “I fear the siege will prevent me from getting sweets, toys, playing with my friends and going to school.”

Despite being military par excellence, Turkish presence has been widely welcomed by different segments of Syrian society in Idlib countryside and the Euphrates Shield areas, north of Aleppo. The reason for that being its contribution to improving the living condition of these areas, for the first time since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011.

Changing the ways we communicate with each other is of utmost importance if we consider the weak and fragmented character of Syrian secular opposition circles nowadays. Such a reflection inevitably involves the leading voices articulating these important issues (gender, class, among others) to take their responsibility in elaborating their positions and points of difference and to seek viable alliances and wider solidarity networks

In recent days in Syria, civil society organizations and activists have carried out a number of activities drawing attention to events in Aleppo and as-Suwayda’ as well, including protests in front of a government building in response to the killing of a civilian by the National Defense Forces (NDF) and a rebellion in the city’s central prison.